Once again, it's time for South Shore to dig out

Wednesday

Jan 22, 2014 at 1:30 AMJan 22, 2014 at 4:24 PM

Communities up and down the South Shore are digging out today after the region landed squarely in the cross hairs of a winter storm that became more powerful than initially expected. Schools in Quincy, Braintree and other communities are closed Wednesday as plow crews continue a road-clearing effort that some officials expect could last into Thursday evening.

Neal Simpson The Patriot Ledger @nsimpson_ledger

Communities up and down the South Shore are digging out today after the region landed squarely in the cross hairs of a winter storm that became more powerful than initially expected.Schools in Quincy, Braintree and other communities are closed as plow crews continue a road-clearing effort that some officials expect could last into Thursday evening. The South Shore was set to remain under a blizzard warning issued by the National Weather Service until 1 p.m. today.

"It looks like it's going to be another one of those 16-, 18-hour storms," said Braintree Mayor Joseph Sullivan, who has banned all on-street parking in town until 6 a.m. Friday.

Forecasters who had been watching the storm for days quickly ramped up their expectations on Tuesday, with the South Shore and Cape Cod expected to receive the brunt. By the end of the day, WCVB-TV, Channel 5, predicted that most of the region would see up to a foot of dry, fluffy snow.

AP InteractiveBlue Hill ObservatoryMass. Emergency ManagementCellphone readinessRed Cross safety tipsFlood safety tipsKeeping your pet safe"Computer models show the storm trending more to the north with more moisture, so I increased the snowfall estimates," Channel 5 meteorologist Cindy Fitzgibbon said earlier in the day.

The National Weather Service warned that the South Shore could see blizzard conditions overnight as the snowfall rate reached 1 to 2 inches per hour. The agency said "very minor coastal flooding" could close coastal roads during a high tide from 3 to 4 a.m.

The impending storm prompted Gov. Deval Patrick to postpone the final State of the State address of his term and send non-emergency state workers home early. He urged private employers to allow other workers to head home ahead of the evening commute, which he said would be "treacherous."

"We don't expect this will be a long winter shut-in, but be prepared," he said at a press conference.

Airlines began canceling flights Tuesday night, and the Massachusetts Port Authority urged travelers to check the status of their flights before heading to Logan Airport. MassPort said domestic flights would be limited after 8 p.m. Tuesday and early Wednesday morning.

Quincy, Braintree and Randolph issued parking restrictions Tuesday afternoon to allow plows to clear streets. Brantree's parking ban was scheduled to remain in place until 6 a.m. Friday, but Mayor Sullivan said it could be lifted sooner if conditions improve.

Kenan Connell, Weymouth's public works directors, said Tuesday that he didn't know how long it would take to clean up after the storm.

"I've been at this for 26 years and every storm's been different," he said.